The Outer Banks finally got to cross the replacement span for the Bonner Bridge today. Of course it was by foot or bike because the bridge is not quite ready for cars and trucks, but it was nice to see what the finished product is going to look like after so many years.
It was a cold and blustery day on the bridge. Very cold and quite blustery. That, however, did not seem to stop a few thousand people who trekked the six mile round trip from the Oregon Inlet Fishing Center parking lot—or Oregon Inlet Campground—to Pea Island.
What the new bridge has to offer
Walking the bridge the scope and size of what has been created becomes real, and the differences between this bridge and what it is replacing comes into focus. Some changes are immediately apparent.
The size, of course—but that’s been known for some time. But looking down on cars crossing the Bonner Bridge, just how large this new span is becomes a little more real.
From the outside, it looks almost fragile, yet walking—or biking, there were a lot of those, too—across the bridge it feels like it really may be able to withstand Mother Nature and the forces of Oregon Inlet for 100 years. That is it’s predicted lifespan.
There are other changes though that from the outside are not quite as apparent.
There is a bike path along both shoulders. It’s still a long ride from Nags Head to the Tri Villages, but it is, at least, a little more possible now.
It may be that the concrete used to construct the bridge is new, but it does have a noticeably different appearance than what can be seen on the Bonner Bridge. Admittedly that could just be glancing over at the old bridge and seeing how pitted and discolored 55 years of exposure to salt spray and high winds it has become. However, according to engineers working on the bridge design, the concrete and road surfaces are using technologies and materials that were not even available in 1963-64.
Most spectacularly—and it’s something accepted intellectually but seeing it makes it far more real—is just how narrow the original passage under the bridge is compared to what will be coming. Especially on a day like today, when the seas are running high and the current is visible, that narrow width between the wooden pilings seems a mariner’s gamble.
It is apparent there is still some cleanup to do. Construction cranes still sit just off the railings in the water and there are also some construction platforms that will be removed.
Nonetheless, the bridge is almost ready for traffic. No official date has been set, but according to NCDOT, sometime later this month the bridge will be open to traffic.
Content created by Kip Tabb.